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Killashandra Ree
Killashandra Ree is the main character of Anne McCaffrey's "Crystal Singer" trilogy. In Crystal Singer The first novel, Crystal Singer, opens with Killashandra receiving the most devastating news of her life: a flaw in her singing voice will keep her from being the lead in operas. Angry that the music instructor deliberately led her on, wasting ten years of her life, and too prideful to accept lesser roles, she abandons her career and leaves. While trying to decide what to do with her life, she travels to the spaceport and meets a man who is on vacation and offers to let her enjoy the vacation with him. During a meal, the man notices her reacting to something on a subharmonic level and the conversation turns to music. Killashandra is reluctant to talk about it, but as the meal and conversation continues, the noise increases to the audible range. The man rushes to port authorities to alert them once again of the danger he detected from a ship's crystal drive. Before the engines can be shut off, they explode, killing the man and causing extensive damage to the spaceport. Killashandra agrees to accompany the body back to Ballybran, his planet of residence, partly because she is impressed with how much respect the man was afforded during the short time she knew him. After arriving at the space station orbiting the planet, she decides to find out more about the mysterious planet he had tried to dissuade her from earlier. What little she is able to discover learns only deepens the mystery. People who live on the planet can earn a lot of credits from the harvesting of a unique resource: Ballyban crystals, which have a wide range of uses, including instantaneous inter-planetary communications and spaceship drives. The crystals are cut from mountain ranges using infrasonic cutters, explaining why her perfect pitch was of especial interest to her companion. However, the planet is classified as a hazardous environment and a mere 30,000 people live there, all part of the Heptite Guild. Undaunted, Killashandra decides to apply to the Guild. She's accepted after several interviews and further warnings about the planet and joins the others that have applied in the shuttle that takes them down to the surface. It is only after they begin classes that they're given the real "full disclosure" the official warnings didn't provide. A spore on the planet causes genetic alterations in humans, ranging from mild to deadly and include sterility. Those that adapt to the spore are given increased health and healing, allowing for a longer lifespan and rapid recovery of severe injuries. A drawback is that they are now inexorably tied to the planet. They can leave for a while, but must return to have the spore replenished within their bodies. Killashandra is fortunate and receives the most favorable transition. This leads to being sent out early to the mountain ranges to learn from another Guild member how to cut crystal, and to learn the dangers that come with it. Later, she is sent on an assignment to install communication crystals on an emergency basis that coincides with the most recent worldwide wind storm, during which everyone hunkers down and seeks shelter, preferably off world. As the years go by, Killashandra grows accustomed to her new life and her role as a crystal singer. Killashandra Killashandra is offered an assignment to finish the installation of crystals used in the main organ of a planet-wide music festival after the previous Guild member was killed by an explosion in the organ loft. Shortly after her arrival, she learns creativity is firmly regimented and deviations punished. She also survives an assassination attempt, but the overbearing and officiousness of the ruling council repels her and she slips away as soon as she can. While hiding from the search party, she chances upon her assailant, but before she can talk with him, she's knocked unconscious. When she awakens, she has been abandoned on a small tropical island with minimal survival gear. At first, she stays put, but as the days drag on, she decides to rescue herself and swims from island to island until she comes across an inhabited one. Having no money, she's forced to steal clothing to replace her own tattered clothing and then volunteers to help with the imminent festivities. At the party that night, she meets her assailant again, learns his name (Lars Dahl) and after hearing him sing, realizes that he was the unknown tenor she had sung a duet with from their respective balconies right after her arrival. He does not recognize her as her skin has been darkened and her hair bleached almost pure white from sun exposure. Depressed that his talents are being wasted and for other reasons, he leaves the party. Killashandra follows, and seeing him in his state, allows him to take her to bed. With a storm approaching, Lars grows increasingly worried about something he won't tell her. She overhears him discussing it with others and their plan to make the trip just as soon as they can. Killashandra is pretty sure she knows what and whom they are talking about and tags along. During the trip to the island, Killashandra learns about sailing and grows closer to him. Upon arriving at the island, he's frantic that there's no one there as the hostage would have been used as a bargaining tool to summon help. She lets him stress out for a short time then announces she rescued herself. Stunned, he suddenly recognizes her while the others with him start laughing. This turn of events works to their advantage and all of them begin planning the return to the mainland and the story they will tell that will protect her lover from repercussions. Lars had been hired by the leaders of the government to fake the assassination attempt in order to verify her identity, in exchange for another evaluation of his musical composition and talents. The re-evaluation was a sham and he was still denied. The chance meeting prompted him to kidnap her to force the issue. When the group returns to the mainland, the officials are waiting for them with the intent of arresting Lars and everyone else, but Killashandra derails the attempt by spinning the tale of how Lars rescued her, playing up the indignities she's suffered since her arrival and proclaiming that she would only feel safe in Lars' presence. She states that she wants to get right back to her assignment since the damaged organ is critical to the planet's economy during the months-long tourist season. Killashandra meets her replacement, Trag, who arrived quickly after the officials reluctantly had to submit another request after her disappearance. This works in her favor as Trag is more senior within the Guild and has a reputation for integrity. Together, she, Trag and Lars begin the repair, and after finding ways to get rid of their assigned watchdog and disabling the monitoring devices, discover that the organ does more than just play music: it also broadcasts subliminal messages designed to pacify the audience and encourage visitors to become residents. The seriousness of the officials' crimes become clear and plans are made to not only take Lars with them but to get the involvement of the Federated Sentient Planets' judicial system. Through carefully-planned statements and charges, Lars is whisked off with them as Killashandra and Trag leave, having completed the repair. This backfires on them when Killashandra's nervousness and concern for Lars' safety is mis-detected by the automated court as fear and trauma from her ordeal and being in the same room as her kidnapper. Despondent that the plan had not worked and her own feelings betrayed Lars, Killashandra retreats back into her work of cutting crystals, becoming dour and almost unfeeling as the months pass. Later, she's asked to visit a patient who has just gone through the same adaptation to the symbiote as she had and needed reassurance that he was okay. Killashandra is stunned to find out that the patient is Lars and nearly passes out. Lars helps her recover from the shock and fills her in on what happened after they left. FSP officials verified the subliminal programming was present in all public venues where the same type of organs were used, and all of the government officials were arrested, except for the one that died at the shock of being told he was being arrested. Still reeling from finding out that Lars is okay, he springs his final surprise on her. He applied to the Guild to be with her and because Ballybran has seas large enough for the sailing he loves. Crystal Line to be continued Background The basis for Killashandra Ree came from Anne McCaffrey's own experiences as a singer after her vocal coach forced her to stress her voice too far and ruined it. Further details are included in the book, Dragonholder: The Life and Dreams (So Far) of Anne McCaffrey, published by her son Todd McCaffrey in 1999. (ISBN: 978-0345422170) Several of Anne McCaffrey's series have an organization named the "Federated Sentient Planets" (FSP). However, she used it as a recurring theme of a system of government rather than a means to tie the series together. To that end, even though a "Brain and Brawn" FSP ship appears in the third novel, the Crystal Singer trilogy is not connected the other series that includes the FSP. Category:Main characters Category:Women